Steyr Scout
}} The Steyr Scout is an Austrian Sniper Rifle. It is unlocked at rank 195, or it can be purchased with credits. History The Steyr Scout '''is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed in the 1990s by Austrian firearms manufacturer Steyr Mannlicher. The design is based on the scout rifle concept, defined by Jeff Cooper, an American firearms expert who also was involved in the design of the Steyr Scout. The rifle is designed to be a versatile, lightweight all-around rifle and as such, the Steyr Scout meets most of his specifications of a scout rifle - a bolt-action rifle less than one meter in length, weighs less than three kilograms unloaded, has iron and optical sights, is fitted with slings and can hit a human sized target out towards 450 meters. The Steyr Scout is primarily chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO rifle cartridge and .308 Winchester - the commercial version of the 7.62mm NATO round, however, other calibers such as the 5.56×45mm NATO, .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, .376 Steyr and 7mm-08 Remington rounds are available. The rifle has been in limited service since 1999, being used by the Taiwanese 'Thunder Squad' - a SWAT counter-terrorist unit, as well as Kazakh SWAT teams and was previously used by the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War. In-Game ''General Information'' The Steyr Scout has abnormally low damage values for a sniper rifle, being the lowest in-class. With bodyshots the weapon is a three-shot kill (3SK) - even worse than the likes of the Mosin Nagant. However, due to the high headshot multiplier, it is able to perform a 1SK to the head at all ranges. Range, although sporting a very short maximum range value, does not affect the weapon's shots to kill (STK) requirement at any range, thus not affecting the weapon's overall performance. The Steyr Scout also boasts a very high rate of fire (RoF) at 75 RPM, the highest of any bolt-action rifle in-game and surpassing the semi-automatic Dragunov SVDS, although is still behind the fastest-firing sniper rifle the Dragunov SVU. Muzzle velocity is also good at the sniper rifle default of 3000 studs per second. With body shots, the weapon boasts a poor time to kill (TTK), lagging far behind other peers in its class, but with headshots, has the exact same TTK as other sniper rifles. Magazine capacity is good, at 8+1 rounds - the second-highest in-class only beaten by the SVU and the SVDS. The Steyr Scout's ammunition reserve is also very good, at 60 rounds, equating to a starting ammunition total of 68 rounds. Reload times are fairly quick for a sniper rifle, with a tactical reload of 3.5 seconds - again the second-best in-class only being outperformed by the SVU and L115A3 in this regard - and an empty reload time of 4.5 seconds. Other handling traits are also good. It sports the fastest aim-down-sights (ADS) time and highest mobility in-class - tied with the Mosin Nagant. ''Usage & Tactics'' The Steyr Scout similar to the Mosin Nagant where bodyshots will require multiple follow-up shots to kill a target. Unlike the Mosin, however, the Scout will require three shots instead of two. Therefore, headshots are integral to performing well with the Steyr Scout. Missing a shot is much more punishing with the Steyr Scout than most rifles, so if a user does miss their intended target, it is recommended to quickly move to a safe location, as it is likely the enemy has had time to react and return fire. This makes close-quarters-combat (CQC) challenging for the Steyr Scout, as missed shots up close are more likely to result in a death given the presence of shotguns and fully-automatic weapons. At longer ranges, the small profile of an enemy's head makes it harder to perform a 1SK with the Steyr Scout, although the RoF makes follow-up shots somewhat easier to perform. This gives the Steyr Scout an interesting dynamic. Whilst being the fastest-firing sniper rifle in-class and theoretically being capable of killing more enemies much faster than other sniper rifles, it is a very high risk weapon to use. Without headshots, the weapon is the worst-performing sniper rifle but with them, is incredibly powerful. This ultimately makes precision key for effective use with the weapon, as well as taking advantage of its pros; high mobility, magazine capacity and high RoF. A user should adopt a more run-and-gun playstyle with the weapon, moving frequently from advantageous positions on the map to retain the element of surprise. Steyr Scout users should prioritize movement to separate locations, peeking from behind cover to engage the enemy before re-positioning themselves to a safer location. The high magazine capacity and high RoF also means a user can easily kill multiple enemies in quick succession so long as they hit consecutive headshots. The high mobility speed also allows the user to run around the map with their weapon out faster than other rifles, such as the Intervention. It is also wise to carry a versatile secondary weapon given the high-risk factor of the Steyr Scout. Although subject to user preference, the likes of the MP1911 or MP412 REX offer good CQC performance as well as better medium-range capabilities than other secondary weapons on offer. As mentioned, precision is key with the Steyr Scout. This makes a user's choice of optical attachment more important than other weapons. Although the iron sights are quite clear and work well for CQC, a higher-magnification such as the VCOG 6x Scope or the weapon's unique Leupold M8-6x optic are quite useful with the Scout, as they improve a user's ability to hit a target at longer distances as well as be more precise in their shot placements. Although a user's preference will dictate their choice of optic, it is important to note optics with a large reticle or obtrusive optic housing will hinder the weapon's usefulness. An option for more medium-ranged maps is the TA11 ACOG with its magnification level of 3x instead of 6x. Barrel attachments are less useful although some are worth considering. The recoil-reducing barrel attachments are negligible in effect on the Steyr Scout, leaving only the flash hider and the suppressors. The flash hider is worth considering given the reduction of muzzle flash provides a clearer view on target although this comes at a cost of reduced hipfire accuracy. Only the regular suppressor retains the 1SK to the head at all ranges, so is arguably the best choice for a suppressor given the preservation such an asset, even with a reduction in muzzle velocity. Underbarrel attachments are similarly less useful overall. Grips increase the ADS time and have little effect on the weapon's recoil given its bolt-action nature. Laser sights are, however, are a nice addition to a user's loadout and help increase the chance of landing a close-ranged shot in situations where reaction time is critical. In terms of auxiliary attachments, the Ballistics Tracker is quite useful, as aiming for the head is critical to the Steyr Scout's performance, so is arguably the best choice for inexperienced users. A user may wish to equip a laser sight if the user does not have access to the Ballistics Tracker. ''Conclusion'' The Steyr Scout is extremely hard to master and requires extreme precision, but it is dangerous in the right hands. Its high firerate, magazine size and high mobility speed lends itself to aggressive mobile playstyles. Headshots are critical to the weapon's performance, making the weapon very focused on precision and accuracy more so than other sniper rifles available. Pros & Cons '''Pros: * Second fastest tactical reload in-class. * Fairly quick empty reload time. * Second highest magazine capacity in-class. * Second fastest firerate in-class. * Highest ammunition reserve in-class. * Fastest ADS time in-class. * Highest mobility in-class. * Clear iron sights. Cons: * Lowest base damage in-class - 3SK to the torso. * High skill cap in terms of aiming. * Lowest maximum range in-class. * Loses 1SK to the head at longer ranges with any suppressor besides the standard suppressor. Trivia * The Steyr Scout used to use animations and sounds from the Remington 700 reloads and the bolt cycle of the the Mosin Nagant before its addition. * The Steyr Scout, has a scope exclusive to the weapon, the Leupold M8-6x. ** It was originally the Leupold M8-4x, however, it was changed to 6x magnification. * The Steyr Scout features an integrated bipod, seen on the weapon's fore-end. Due to bipods not being usable in Phantom Forces, the weapon's model does not feature seams for them. * The Steyr Scout in-game previously was chambered in the 7.62x51mm NATO round, but was changed to fire the .376 Steyr caliber, which resulted in a change in the capacity of the weapon's magazine to 8+1 rounds instead of 10+1 rounds. However, the reserve ammunition count remained the same and is not divisible by the new magazine capacity, leaving four rounds spare after emptying seven total magazines. ** The .376 Steyr (9.5x60mm) is a large bore rifle cartridge, developed upon the 9.3 x 64mm Breneke. This cartridge is more potent than the NATO standard 7.62x51mm. Steyr no longer offers the Scout rifle in this cartridge. * On the stock of the weapon, there is a Stylis Studios logo. Sniper Rifle Category:Primary Weapons